Nick Clegg Reveals His Hidden Shallows

Next time the LibDems accuse the Conservatives of opportunism, throw this one back their faces. Today LibDem Home Affairs Spokesman Nick Clegg has lambasted the award of a CBE to Met Deputy Commissioner Andy Hayman. He thinks that because of the Forest Gate raid it should have been withdrawn or postponed (as if that wouldn't have leaked out and caused further damage to police morale). Andy Hayman was Chief Constable for Norfolk when I was in North Norfolk. He's a man of integrity and has had a career to be proud of. Of course things will go wrong operationally from time to time, but Clegg has no idea how many terrorist attacks Andy Hayman and his team have thwarted.

For Clegg to make this suggestion shows he's not the man I thought he was. I've made no secret that I have always thought he would be a formidable opponent as LibDem leader, but his performance so far as LibDem Home Affairs spokesman has suggested otherwise. He's a man of hidden shallows.

Dale Wimps out of Self-Flagellation

Last night Dizzy bet me a tenner I couldn't mention the phrase "self-flagellation" during my interview on the Today programme this morning. He was right. Despite spotting an opportunity, I wimped out. Shame on me.

Political Cross Dresser Meets Eddie Izzard

Prepare yourself. Political cross-dresser Tony Blair has just recorded a podcast with Eddie Izzard, recorded on their way to the EU Summit in Brussels. I would say that you can listen to it HERE, but whenever I click on the link it doesn't work. Could it be that it is so popular that the Downing Street system has crashed? Obviously more taxpayers' money needed! Click HERE for more on the Downing Street website about Eddie Izzard's trip to Brussels. More from Eddie Izzard (or will it soon be "Sir Edward"?) in The Guardian HERE. I shouldn't be too rude as the Podcast was produced by a friend of mine. He's actually asked me to ask you for your views on the Podcast. I promise you I'm not making this up.

Podcast 12: Iain Interviews Tony Benn

Tony Benn fascinates me. In the 1970s I regarded him as the devil incarnate. Today I regard him as a friend. We even agree on one or two issues - Europe, Parliament, constitutional issues. A couple of years ago I interviewed him on my Oneword Programme after the latest volume of his diaries was published. We talk in detail about his diaries, his love for his wife Caroline, who had recently died when we recorded the interview. During that part of the interview we both had rather moist eyes. We also talk about his view of New Labour, the job of an MP, the machine of government, democracy and his one man theatre tour.

I've uploaded the whole programme as my latest Podcast, which you can listen to by clicking on the icon at the top of the left hand column.

New Poll: Who Should be Tory London Mayoral Candidate?

This week David Cameron announced that the Conservative candidate to fight Ken Livingstone for the London mayoralty would be chosen by an open primary. A brave move by any standard. But will it be a wise one? The bigger the risk the bigger the reward. As a Yorkshire friend of mine would say, you don't get 'owt if you don't risk 'owt. My hope is that CCHQ have a star name lined up already because I think we will need someone who is very well known already. I don't know him, but I suspect that Nick Ferrari would walk it, if he stood. He's doing a series of 'An Evening With...' shows at the moment and they're selling out. Thousands are attending. Would he do it? Stranger things have happened. Anyway, get voting the new poll featured down the left hand column.

Poll Result: Clare Short for Labour Deputy Leader

Over the last ten days I've been asking you to vote for who you think should be the next Deputy Leader of the Labour Party. 550 of you did, and you voted for Clare Short! Astonishing. Here is the result

Clare Short 25%
Alan Johnson 21%
Hilary Benn 11%
Jack Straw 11%
Harriet Harman 10%
Tessa Jowell 6%
Hazel Blears 6%
David Miliband 3%
Hilary Armstrong 2%

Join my New Email List

On the left hand column, you'll find a new button inviting you to join my Email List. Just click on it and then click on SEND and that's all you need to do. You can unsubscribe at any time. You'll get an occasional email from me (never more than one per week) which might alert you to something new on the Blog, inviting you to take part in a poll, or with news of something I think might interest people - an article, review or something like that. Do join up!

Another Entry for the Little Red Book...

I just say this little morsel in The Guardian's diary column today. Think back to 1995 and delete the words Labour, Lord and Hendry and insert the words Tory and MP and I suspect The Guardian wouldn't have used this as a diary story - it would have been front page news.

There'll be one red face in the House of Lords, we'll wager, after Labour Lord Pendry, who chairs the all-party sports committee and objects to the Commons free vote that banned smoking in all public spaces, sent hundreds of letters to his fellow peers asking them to support amendments he has tabled in the Lords that would allow private clubs to decide themselves whether or not to ban the evil weed. Curiously, he neglected to tell them - until one noticed from the franking - that the postage had been generously paid by the Tobacco Manufacturers' Association. "I couldn't get a secretary to do it, so they offered," he said. How enterprising!

Strangely there is no mention on the Tobacco Manufacturers Association in Lord Pendry's entry in the Register of Lords' Interests. I trust that will soon be rectified.

Dale on the Media This Weekend

The media whoring punditry work seems to be coming thick and fast at the moment - long may it continue! For those who never tire of hearing my dulcet tones, this is where you can find me on the nation's airwaves this weekend. For those who would rather pull their toenails out, look away now...


Saturday 8.20am Today programme talking about a new Tory logo (again!)
Sunday 6.30am GMTV Sunday programme talking about the state of the Tories, alongside Michael Brown of the Independent
Sunday 11.45pm BBC News 24 review of Monday's papers

Prescott in Bent & Twisted Dilemma

I'm feeling withdrawal symptoms. It's been at least two weeks since I had a go at our Deputy DawgPrime Minister, so lert's rectify that now, shall we? I much enjoyed this little piece in today's Axegrinder column in the Press Gazette.

LARDY Deputy PM John Prescott gets a good ribbing in the satirical magazine, Bent and Twisted. Under the headline, “Prescott’s wife shocked at revelations”, the story reads: “Pauline Prescott, 66, yesterday announced that she was ‘shocked’ at the latest revelations about her husband’s secret life. “I’ve been married to him for 45 years,” she said in an interview published in this week’s Heat magazine. “I know the wife is always supposed to be the last to know, but he was so secretive about it. “It came as a huge shock to discover that he was Deputy Prime Minister. I never even knew he was involved in politics, let alone he was an MP — I mean, he never talked about it at home and certainly never did any constituency work or anything…” You get the gist. Anyway, one of the mag’s readers sent the spoof article to a friend who works at the Home Office. A couple of days later the reader received a call from the office of the Deputy PM, wanting to know where the story had come from. Buffoon that he is, it seems Prezza was taking it seriously!

Thatcher & Gorbachev: Sixteen Years On

A wonderful diary from Geordie Greig in The Spectator this week...

"I feel something of a gooseberry as Mikhail Gorbachev and Margaret Thatcher sit snugly side by side on a sofa in the upstairs room of The Ivy. They are sort of flirting, bonding over old times and cold climes as the magic of their relationship is quickly rekindled. At one moment they clutch each other’s hands, giggling at how they fought their corners in their early talks at Chequers. It is moving to see such intimacy and warmth between these two old titans who together with Ronald Reagan literally changed the world. My fellow hosts, Evgeny and Alexander Lebedev, and I all fade into the background as the Iron Lady and Gorby really only have eyes for each other. At 80 she has lost none of her predilection for scoring points, a sort of political love-badinage. ‘Of course, it’s a good idea: it’s science,’ she harrumphed. This was a dinner organised for Gorby the night before the launch of his cancer charity founded in his widow Raisa’s name. ‘How effective is research?’ she asked, Paxman-style. ‘Has there been a direct reduction in deaths linked to the amount of research?’ she volleyed. Direct talk and direct eye contact at all times."

Things That Come Back to Haunt You...

The revelation that Tony Blair wrote a pseudo-Marxist letter to Michael Foot should come as little surprise to anyone. Blair has always been what Tony Benn would describe as a weathercock rather than a signpost - a blank canvass on which to paint. I was trying to think of other examples of things people have written which later came back to haunt them, but it's obviously too early in the morning. Over to you!

My personal example would a one page essay I wrote in 1974 at the age of eleven. I decided to pen a piece for my parents advising them how to vote in the February election. Even at that age I had seen right through Ted Heath and I was none too enamoured with the EEC after my father was forced to sell his herd of beef cattle. So early one morning I wandered into my parents' bedroom and solemnly advised them to vote Labour. My bleary eyed mother briefly awoke from her slumbers and told me not to be so stupid and to go back to bed and that she would be voting for that rather 'dishy' Mr Thorpe. My career as a political pundit had not got off to a promising start. Let's hope that when I get to the GMTV studios this morning I am a little more perceptive in my political analysis... Some hope!

Bad News is News, Good News is Advertising

Imagine if Chippenham or South Northamptonshire had picked a new candidate who was white, male, a lawyer with 2.4 children and a Volvo in the drive. Imagine the headlines there would have been in The Times. CAMERON IN A LIST SNUB, or LOCAL TORIES DELIVER BLOW TO CAMERON. But of course the papers were rather disappointed to see that instead, a black farmer and a woman were chosen. The more fair minded among you may have been expecting to see a headline of BLACK FARMER IN 'A' LIST TRIUMPH or ANDREA LEADSOM - PHEW WHAT A SCORCHER! But you'd be disappointed. There's not a mention of either selection today. Admittedly there was one sentence in yesterday's Telegraph. It is astonishing that neither the Telegraph nor The Times have featured either an interview with or profile of Wilfred Emmanuel-Jones today. But you see good news is advertising. Wait for the first seat to select a non 'A' list white male with a golden retriever and a wife called Tara and you'll see the contrast.

LibDems Say One Thing in Chester and Another in Bromley

Read this sentence very carefully...

'Lib Dems do not believe it matters where a candidate lives but how committed they are to the area they wish to represent".

This was in a leaflet from the LibDems in Chester, whose candidate lived in Wales. The local Conservatives played the LibDems at their own gamewere rather naughty and had put out a flyer with a Welsh dragon on it, suggesting it was to be the new Lib Dem logo. The Lib Dem agent went potty and put out a leaflet that said: 'Lib Dems do not believe it matters where a candidate lives but how committed they are to the area they wish to represent".

The Conservative candidate won the seat coming from 3rd to 1st.

Why is the Right Wing Blogosphere Predominant?

I have written an article for this week's Tribune Magazine on the differences between the right and left wing blogospheres. It's too long to post here but you can read it on my website HERE. It will no doubt upset some on the left, but just to make it upto them they can listen to my next Podcast with Tony Benn, which I will upload in the next couple of days.

Hammers Fans Hit Trouble over Fascist Symbol

As most football fans know, West Ham have two nicknames- the Hammers or the Irons. "C'mon you Irons" is one of my favourite chants, which I tend to yell with over-aggressive gusto. But some fellow Irons from Milton Keynes have hit a spot of trouble in Germany, as their flag was commandeered by FIFA officials for displaying a "fascist" symbol. German TV had complained about the crossed hammers on their flag as it resembled a swastika. However, credit to FIFA, they found the flag in a rubbish bin (!), returned it and apologised and gave the fans a free ticket to next Tuesday's England v Sweden game. So all's well that ends well.

Which gives me the opportunity to say a little about the Trinidad game. Oh dear. I think that covers it, Brian.

New Statesman New Media Awards Shortlist

Ministerial blogger David Miliband will be the keynote speaker at the New Statesman's New Media Awards on 24 July. And guess what? His pisspoor blog has been shortlisted for an award. Astonishingly, neither Guido, Tory Radio or your humble servant have made the shortlist. Shurely shome mishtake?! Interestingly, BackingBlair is nominated for the Advocacy Award - presumably the NS judges realise that BlackingBlair does exactly the opposite of what it says on the tin. Ah, got it. Might be something to do with the proprietor's allegiances with one G. Brown!

Last week the New Statesman published the first issue since its redesign. I have to say it's a drastic improvement. Slightly larger format, more pages and a much more readable feel. You may not believe this but I subscribe to the New Statesman. I suppose my only slight concern is the number of comedians who are writing for it at the moment - Rory Bremner, Mark Thomas and now Julian Clary. Mark Thomas is just barking mad and sees a conspiracy round every corner. I'm having lunch with NS editor John Kampfner tomorrow. Do readers of this blog read the NS? If you do, leave some comments and I'll tell him what you think of the redesign.

Latest PodCast on Channel 4 News Morning Reports

My latest contribution to Channel 4 News's Morning Reports Podcast is on the differences between the right and left wing blogospheres. It also features my Blog of the Wekk, which is Paul Linford's. And I recorded this before I knew he had chosen my blog as his number 1! You can listen to it HERE.

Jack McConnell's Chip on Shoulder

Don't you think I have done well so far not to drone on and on about the World Cup? No, I'll leave that to Alastair Campbell... Well, almost. I'm greatly looking forward to the England v Trinidad game this afternoon, but I think I shall have 9 holes of golf beforehand so calm me down. Hard life, isn't it?

In 1978 when England didn't get to the World Cup Finals I supported Scotland. In 1994 when they didn't get to the finals in the USA I was quite happy to support the Republic of Ireland. So why do some Scots have such a problem with supporting England seeing as their team hasn't made it? Even the First Minister Jack McConnell has said he'll support anyone but England. He's now facing flak because it could affect inward investment from England and tourism. The United Kingdom consists of four countries, each of whom I would support against any opposition. Isn't it a pity that some of our friends north of the border can't bring themselves to do the same?

And before the usual accusations of being anti-Scottish start flying, save yourselves the trouble. My name is spelled I A I N. My middle name is Campbell. I'm a quarter Scottish myself, my family comes from New Cumnock in Ayrshire and apparently Robbie Burns is an ancestor!

BREAKING NEWS: Woman 'A' Lister Chosen

Andrea Leadsom has just been selected as candidate for Northamptonshire South, holding off Andrew Griffith and Damian Collins. So the 'A' list strategy seems to be working. Three Tory(ish) seats selected - two women and one ethnic minority.

Andrea is a very strong candidate. She's got balls. The great thing about both the selections tonight is that they were won entirely on merit.

Conservative Future TV - Coming to a Laptop Screen Near You...

Coming to a blog near you. Click HERE to see Conservative Future TV.

BREAKING NEWS: Black Farmer Selected for Tory Seat

Wilfred Emmanuel-Jones, Britain's only black farmer, and a member of the Tory 'A' List has just been selected as Tory candidate for Chippenham. He beat off a strong challenge from fellow 'A' Lister Harriett Baldwin and a local candidate.

I met Wilfred at the 2003 Party Conference when he was mulling over whether to apply to be a candidate. What a nice guy. I am genuinely delighted for him. He'll have quite a media storm to deal with now, so I hope he knows what's coming. I hope that his selection will finally lay to rest the myth that ethnic minority candidates can't be selected by Tory Associations in safe seats. His selection follows Adam Afriyie in Windsor and Shailesh Vara in Cambridgeshire. Ok, that's only 3, but it's three more than the LibDems have got, and three more than many Tories would have expected only a few years ago. There's a good feature on Wilfred in the Sunday Times HERE.

Northamptonshire South is also selecting tonight. The final three are Andrea Leadsome, Andrew Griffiths and Damian Collins.

David Blunkett Becomes Delusional

I've never understood why the Today programme constantly wheels out David Blunkett, as if anything he has to say is of remote interest to anyone any longer. He's one of the most discredited Labour politicians around - and that's saying something. This morning he surpassed himself and has even provoked the normally rather stuffy Chatham House to denounce him. Their statement says it all...

Chatham House Update: Blunkett wrong on asylum amnesty 'little debate' claimDavid Blunkett was wrong to claim on BBC Today that he floated the idea of an amnesty for illegal immigrants at a 'little debate' at Chatham House which was never supposed to be made public. This morning, Mr Blunkett told James Naughtie that his comments were supposed to be made under the Chatham House Rule but that they were 'immediately released, as ever'. Mr Blunkett, then Home Secretary, delivered an on the record speech to a capacity audience of 285 including TV crews and media after which he answered questions - again, on the record - from journalists and Chatham House members. Not for the first time business and political figures have cited the Chatham House Rule retrospectively in an attempt to get across a specific message or to defend themselves during difficult questioning. Just because an event is held on our premises does not mean it is held under the Chatham House Rule, indeed the overwhelming majority of our events are on the record. Given that Mr Blunkett's speech and the Q&A was filmed and his comments were reported at the time, it seems strange that Mr Blunkett should now assume that the meeting was off the record in any sense. At the time, Mr Blunkett's comments on an amnesty were overshadowed by an interview - recorded at Chatham House - with Jeremy Paxman for BBC Newsnight and broadcast the same evening. Mr Blunkett said in that interview that there was 'no obvious limit' to the number of immigrants who could settle in the UK.

Banged to rights, I'd say.

God Bless the US of A

If you thought Jeremy Paxman was a rottweiler, think again. Click HERE.

40 Things That Make You Embarrassed to be Labour

Labour Party chipmunk Chairwoman Hazel Blears is bombarding Labour Party members with emails containing a little list of 40 supposed achievements by the Labour Government since 1997. Forty is a bit of an odd number. You'd have thought in 9 years she could have come up with 100. The list is headlined "40 things that make you proud to be Labour". As you know, I have a softspot for Ms Blears, or Hazel as I like to call her. So I thought I'd tell you what she says in her personal appeal to Labour supporters. I'm like that you see.

It’s a tough time to be a Labour supporter. After a decade in office, no party can expect an easy ride from the voters or the media. But we have a fantastic story to tell about what we’ve achieved for our communities and for the people who gave us three election victories in a row. So let’s spend the summer telling it like it is: more jobs, better schools and hospitals, more police on the streets and falling crime, and a huge range of improvements and achievements.

Bless. And if she tells us it all often enough, I;m sure we'll all believe it, won't we? My little chipmunkHazel is also getting some help from an unexpected quarter in THIS new blog. It's in her name but she's a busy lady so I'm sure some kind person has helped her in her endeavour. I think it might become required reading.

Blair's Losing His Marbles

I'm watching the most extraordinary performance at PMQs from Tony Blair. Ranting, raving, swivelling eyes, finger pointing. Quite astonishing. Is our beloved PM finally losing it?

Even More LibDem Hypocrisy in Bromley

The LibDems are also attacking Bob Neill for the fact that his house is a few miles away from Bromley in Tower Hamlets. In North Norfolk I used to point out to people that I lived in the constituency and Norman Lamb didn't - he lived 15 miles away in Norwich. Fat lot of good it did me.

Also, Ben Abbotts lives in Beckenham. At the last election he stood for the LibDems in Sevenoaks without living there. The distance from Beckenham to Sevenoaks is 16.8 miles, according to Multimap. The distance from Bromley to Tower Hamlets is a mere 10.8 miles. Anyone care to spot the hypocrisy there?

Bob Neill has promised that if elected he will move to the constituency. Ben Abbotts hasn't. Make of that what you will.

More Hypocrisy from LibDems in Bromley

I've just been looking at the rather lame LibDem Bromley by election website. The LibDems main point of attack on Bob 'Winning here' Neill seems to be that if elected he will have four jobs - MP, GLA Member, Health Authority Member and Barrister. They've put out one of their nasty little newspapers pointing this out.

The four jobs thing is a bit rich when you consider...

On the GLA:
Baroness [Sally] Hamwee – London AM, life peer, solicitor, and President of Town and Country Planning Association – 4 jobs
Lord [Graham] Tope – London AM, life peer, councillor in Sutton – 3 jobs
Geoff Pope – London AM, management consultant – 2 jobs
Mike Tuffrey – London AM, management consultant – 2 jobs

In the House of Commons:
Sir Menzies Campbell still lists ‘occasional practice as Queen’s Counsel’ in his register of interests Lynne Featherstone – stood down as a London AM a month after getting elected to Parliament, but remained a local councillor until the elections last May.
Mike Hancock – also a councillor in Portsmouth
Nick Harvey – frontbench spokesman on defence, and a communications strategies consultant to Harrison Cowley, a PR agency
John Hemming – director of JHC plc. (his own software company), chairman of MMI (record company), sole trader of sole trader of MarketNet, partner in OMX Securities LLP, councillor in Birmingham – 5 jobs
Mark Hunter – councillor in Cheadle
Paul Keetch - chairman of Raynard Reseach Limited, a company owned by him providing advice ‘on general and parliamentary matters’
Susan Kramer – remunerated directorship of Infrastructure Capital Partners Ltd. (financial consulting on infrastructure projects), and Speciality Scanners plc. (options held in lieu of fees)
Norman Lamb - consultant to Steeles LLP (solicitors)
John Leech - councillor, Manchester City Council
Paul Rowen – director of Corinya Ltd (property investment in Uganda), Councillor on Rochdale Metropolitan Borough Council, consultancy work with ‘IDEA’ for other councils
John Thurso – chairman of 4 companies, Director of three wholly owned subsidiaries of Ulbster Holdings Ltd., Director of Millennium and Copthorne Hotels plc., Lecturer at Cranfield University
Roger Williams – Partner in R. H. Williams (farming partnership)

I do hope our by-election team won't be backward in pointing this out. I shall be paying another visit to Bromley myself to lend a hand tomorrow, I hope.

EXCLUSIVE: Bruce Anderson to Write Cameron Biography

Regular readers will know from THIS blogpost that I have little time for Bruce Anderson - a columnist whose influence seems to grow in inverse proportions to his weight, judging by his appearance at last night's Policy Exchange party.

So it was with great hilarity that I learned yesterday that the old Brute is penning a hagiography of David Cameron. I do hope it is more readable than his pitiful and breathless instant hagiography of John Major, published shortly after Major became PM. I suspect the Cameron book will be equally breathless, full of phrases like "The Young Master Cameron" and "The Young Pretender". I shall be delighted to be proved wrong.

I did an Amazon search to find out who was publishing Bruce Anderson's book. As I understand it, it is a small publisher, but it's not listed yet. However, I did find THIS book by a Bruce Anderson. Shurely Shome Mishtake. Mr Anderson is nothing if not a fully red blooded male, as many a young filly will testify to.

There is another biography being written of David Cameron by Francis Elliott and James Hanning of the Independent on Sunday, which is being published by Fourth Estate in the Spring. I know which one I shall be reading...

PS I should declare a slight interest here. I have been thinking of writing a book on David Cameron too, although it would not be a biography in the conventional sense. However, other commitments mean that I am now not likely to have the time to do it within the timescale I had originally planned.

BBC Magazines Should be Sold Off

I hear that the BBC is planning to launch a current affairs magazine to compete with the Spectator and New Statesman. An outrage. The BBC has no business being in magazine publishing at all. Indeed, all its magazines should be sold off to the private sector and the money used to make proper public service related programmes - and I don't mean Strictly Come Dancing.

PodCast 10: Iain Dale Interviewed by Jonathan Sheppard Part 2

The second part of my interview with Tory Radio's Jonathan Sheppard is up now. Click on the icon the left to hear it.

EXCLUSIVE: The Tory Logos the Mail on Sunday Didn't Print

Last Sunday the Mail on Sunday revealed that the Conservatives are considering commissioning a new logo. They got their art department to knock up a few possibilities but due to a lack of space they didn't print them. A little birdie has emailed them to me. Call me perceptive, but none of these really float my boat! I don't think I'll enter them into the ConservativeHome logo competition...

Charles Haughey Dies

Former Irish Taioiseach Charles Haughey died today aged 80. I'd be interested to hear what my new friends in the Irish blogosphere made of him. I have to admit I didn't like him very much and always thought he came across as a bit too crafty by half. However, I seem to remember that Mrs T - always a sucker for bit of charm - found him infinitely more preferable to the rather dull Garrett Fitzgerald.

Paul Linford's Top Ten Blogs

Modesty forbids me to recommend you visit Paul Linford's Blog to look at his Top Ten Blogs. You really shouldn't.You might be shocked. I know I was.

How Not to Get Away From the World Cup

Times journalist Andrew Pierce makes no secret of his hatred of football, so he decided to go on holiday during the World Cup to get away from it. So where did he book his holiday? Wait for it... Brazil! He would have done better to have visited his old mucker from the late lamented 5 Live Sunday Service Charlie Whelan in Inverness. For some odd reason there isn't much mention of football in bonnie Scotland at the moment, I hear. Can't think why. There I go upsetting my kinsmen again...

It's Not Only the Tories who Have a New Logo

There's a line in the movie Airplane where the Air traffic controller repeatedly says: 'Guess I picked the wrong week to quit smoking' or 'drinking' etc. Well I suppose I picked the wrong month to change my blog banner and ditch the English flag logo! But I do think it's an improvement, and as you will see it will change a little every few days. Well we can't have you getting bored, can we?

Public Service Announcement: Karen Bradley is Not a Spook

Tory 'A' Lister Karen Bradley got a bit of a shock yesterday when reading THIS piece by Rosie Bennett in The Times. Rosie confused Karen Bradley's old post in the Policy Unit at CCHQ with being a spook at GCHQ. Could happen to anyone. Actually, come to think of it, there are more similarities than you might think....

New Logo for a Party with a Porpoise

I don't know how many of you tuned into my little sojourn on the Today programme this morning on a new logo for the Conservative Party, but I did manage to mention a couple of your suggestions from the blog below. So, Serf, Remittance Man, you are now famous. The guy I was on with from Superbrand suggested the Party should adopt a dolphin as part of the logo, which appeals on a number of levels. It would certainly indicate the Conservatives were a Party with a porpoise (cue raucous laughter...).

I think it was Albert Speer who once said that any logo for a political party must be something that any child can doodle, is simple and striking. I'm not sure a dolphin meets the first of those criteria. William Norton made a good point to me about it needing to be recognisable as a Conservative logo on the ballot paper. My own view is that it needs to encompass the human form in some way, and that linking hands may be the way to do it. Chris Palmer at Political Crossroads has made a stab at a couple of designs along those lines. I rather like this one (apart from the fact it is brown). It embraces the concept of modern compassionate Conservatism and is quite striking.

I very much hope that the Party is not going to spend thousands of pounds commissioning some advertising agency to create a new logo. It should instead launch a national competition and see what it comes up with. I'm sure those nice people at B3ta will be able to help....GULP.

Der Sommer ist Vorbei

As I got off the train this morning it was pouring with rain. Rather appropriately the song playing on my iPod was a German one called 'Der Sommer ist vorbei'. Translation: Summer's over! Ah well, maybe Jim Naughtie will brighten my day.
From Iain Dale's Blackberry

The Today Programme Wants Your Ideas for a New Tory Logo

Tomorrow (Tuesday) morning at 8.20am I will be on the Today programme, live in the studio, discussing a new logo for the Conservative Party with Jim Naughtie and Marcel Knobel from Superbrand. The torch of freedom is being ditched and a new logo is being designed. I think this is long overdue and I am glad it is happening.

The Today producers have asked if I would solicit ideas from you, dear readers, on what this new logo might look like. However, there is a twist. They would like you to suggest what animal could be deployed for the logo, continuing the chameleon theme (the pedants among you will of course know that the chameleon is a reptile and not an animal, but we'll leave that to one side). Obviously this item on Today will be a mixture of seriousness and humour, so do tell me in the comments section your ideas and I will be given the opportunity to read out the best two or three live on the programme (unless of course I am interrupted....!). Personally, I rather like this one from Beau Bo D'Or...
Seriously, this is a once in a decade opportunity for the Party to rebrand itself. Any new logo must embrace the concept of a modern, compassionate Conservative Party. Over to you!

UPDATE: Perhaps I didn't make myself clear, they're looking for animals the Conservatives could use on the logo, together with an explanation! By all means make serious suggestions too, but I suspect it's the animal ones which will get read out.

UPDATE: Chris Palmer at Political Crossroads has created some very good putative logos.

Will You Support a European Team Against the Americans?

Driving back from the station just now listening to the pre match buildup for the USA v Czech Republic game I thought to myself: who would most people want to win this match - the American team or the European team? I will be supporting the Americans without any hesitation. Yet when the Ryder Cup is played later in the year I will be shouting for the Europeans, partly I suppose because there will be British golfers on the European team. But it's still a total inconsistency on my part. But isn't that the beauty of sport? There's no logic to sporting affinity at all.

Life Should Mean Life

Today Craig Sweeney, a convicted paedophile was sentenced to life for abducting a toddler from her home. He will serve 5 years. Last week, a man who was convicted of raping a baby was told his life sentence meant he would serve a minimum of 8 years, rather than the original 6. What does this say about our legal system? Surely in cases like this, life should mean just that. If they're in prison, they can't reoffend. And in the end, it is as simple as that.

John Prescott: The Diary Secretary's Sweetheart

Hat-tip Beau Bo D'Or

The Death of Ian MacNicol

I was very sad to get an email this afternoon from a friend on North Norfolk Radio to tell me of the death of Ian MacNicol. Ian was the chairman of North Norfolk Radio and owned the 4,000 acre Stody Estate, near Holt. He was very kind to me during my time in North Norfolk and made me feel very welcome. For the last three years he had been Chairman of the Royal Agricultural Society. The last time I saw him was when he hosted a meeting for local farmers to meet Tory Agriculture Spokesman James Paice. My father drove up from Essex and was delighted to meet Ian. He was well known throughout the County and I can truly say he will be greatly missed. I know everyone in North Norfolk would agree with that, no matter what their background or what their political colours are.

The Best of the Irish Blogs

Richard Waghorne runs a blog in Dublin called Sicilian Notes. It occurred to me yesterday that his was the only Irish blog I ever looked at, so I asked to recommend a few more. Here are his recommendations...

Atlantic Blog
Disillusioned Lefty
Karole Cuddihy, 'Fallibilist'
IE Politics Reality Check
Dot IE
Irish Eagle
Slugger O'Toole (definitive on Northern Ireland)
Damien Mulley (not so political, but a great blog and a real centre of gravity online in Ireland)
Gavin Sheridan (less political than before, but widely read and excellent)
Eamonn Fitzgerald (Irish, but often writes from abroad)

If there are others you know of, and would like to recommend, please use the Comments section.

British Blogging Has a Long Way to Go...

THIS article in today's, Observer shows how far the British blogosphere has to go before it can emulate our cousins across the Atlantic. It describes the first bloggers convention held last week in Las Vegas. It attracted a huge audience including Presidential hopefuls and all the key political media. Wow.

Ming Comes Clean on Tax Hikes

Well if you're a lobby journalist scratching your head about what to write tomorrow, Ming Campbell's just given you your story. On the Andrew Marr programme he readily admitted that the cost of his so-called "Tax Cuts" would see "the rich" (which he couldn't define) paying £40-£50,000 a year more EACH in tax, as a result of his reform proposals. Let me spell that out again...

£40-£50,000 MORE in tax per year! Each!

Feel those pips squeak! This will apparently enable him to fill the £12 billion hole in the LibDem tax calculations. I suspect that although they might be able to fill the hole in the first year, the would reoccur in the second. Why? Because every so-called "rich" person will have left the country. Perhaps someone should remind Ming of what Abraham Lincoln once said...

You don't make the poor richer by making the rich poorer.

UPDATE 1.20: Predicatbly several LibDem posters in the comments section have accused me of making this up. Well, it's in the transcript of the programme. A LibDem poster has also verified what I have written: "Marr said that the very rich who would be paying the extra would be about 250,000 & that this would average 40-50,000 apiece. Ming agreed. In fact Ming went rather further & got it wrong. Marr's figure were that the Lib Dems had undertaken to raise 20 billion, 8 from enviro taxes & 12 from the rich (actualy 12 billion divided by 240,000 averages 48,000 so Marr was being kind). Ming replied that the 40-50,000 would allow them to raise 20 billion from the rich. He had clearly forgotten the difference between the £12 billion & £20 billion figures. Granted it was a Sunday morning & he wasn't called on it but it does suggest he is not entirely on his brief".

Portillo Urges Cameron to Provoke Hague to Resign

Michael Portillo could always be described as someone who had a unique ability to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory. He's at it again in the Sunday Times today. In an otherwise thought provoking article on Ming Campbell and Cameron's promise to leave the EPP, he argues that Cameron should drop his promise as a truly courageous act of political leadership. He reminds Cameron of Machiavelli's words...

“A prudent leader will not and should not observe his promises, when such observance will work against him and when the reasons for making the promise are no longer valid.”

But then he goes and blows it by reviving his rather odd feud with William Hague. A few weeks ago Portillo called for Cameron to sack Hague and David Davis to demonstrate that the Party had really 'changed'. Today he wants Cameron to provoke Hague into resigning.

In his speech last week Hague struggled to avoid the narrow nationalist rhetoric that characterised his leadership of the party. But when chairing the television programme Have I Got News for You, Hague recovered his Basil Fawlty tone, remarking: “If anyone has got a history of making themselves feel at home in other people’s countries, it’s the Germans.” Thus spake the shadow foreign secretary as England fans headed for the World Cup. With Hague so committed to constructing a fruitcake alliance, an interesting possibility suggests itself. Perhaps Cameron is being cleverer than it appears. So far from being reactionary over Europe, maybe he is building up to his most dramatic demonstration yet that the Tories have broken with their recent history. He could now go back on his promise, which would shatter Hague’s credibility and force him to resign, providing a double disavowal of the party’s past. Now that would be truly Machiavellian.

With political acumen like that, thank God the man never became leader of the Conservative Party

PodCast 10: Iain Dale Interviewed by Jonathan Sheppard

Well, here's the Tory Radio Podcast with yours truly, being interviewed by Jonathan Sheppard. It's in two parts. If you're gagging to hear the second part you can do now at Tory Radio, but I'll post it up here in the middle of the week. In this first part I talk about Politico's, being selected as a candidate, North Norfolk and the Tory leadership campaign. Click on the icon in the left hand column to hear the first part of the Podcast. Apologies for the background noise - we recorded it in the atrium of Portcullis House.

In the second part of the interview I talk about the A List, how I got into blogging, what's next for the blog, the future for new media in politicsand the Little Red Book of New Labour Sleaze.

John Reid: Get on Your Bikes You Moaning Minnies!

John Reid will seek to emulate Norman Tebbit on Monday when he relaunches his fight against crime strategy. Instead of telling people to get on their bikes, he'll say "Stop moaning and improve your own communities you feckless bastards".Remember when Margaret Thatcher told a bunch of journalists to stop being moaning minnies? Well, it all sounds a bit like that. They really have lost it, haven't they?

My Top Political Blogs

As you may remember from THIS post earlier in the week, I've written an article for Tribune Magazine next week on the right wing and left wing blogospheres. They've also asked me to compile a list of Top Ten Conservative and Top Ten Labour Blogs. So while I'm about it I'll do my Top Ten LibDem Blogs, Top Ten Non Aligned Political Blogs and Top Ten Foreign Blogs. I'm not saying these are the best blogs, but they're the ones I like and visit most often. And yes, I've done my Top 20 Conservative Blogs rather than Top Ten. I couldn't leave people out, could I?!

TOP TWENTY CONSERVATIVE BLOGS

1. ConservativeHome.com

2. Guido Fawkes

3. Adam Smith

4. Boris Johnson

5. Tory Radio

6. Burning Our Money

7. Dizzy Thinks

8. RightLinks

9. Ellee Seymour

10. Conservative History

11. Antony Little

12. Spin Blog

13. Kevin Davis

14, James Cleverly

15. Social Affairs Unit

16. Tax Cutter

17. Welfare State We're In

18. Croydonian

19. EU Serf

20. Politics through the Eyes of a Teenager

TOP TEN LABOUR BLOGS

1. Bob Piper

2. Recess Monkey

3. Kerron Cross

4. Antonia Bance

5. Tom Watson MP

6. Mike Ion

7. Clive Soley

8. Jo Salmon

9. Leighton Andrews AM

10. Bloggers4Labour

TOP TEN LIBERAL DEMOCRAT BLOGS

1. Liberal England

2. Peter Black AM

3. Niles's Blog

4. Rob Fenwick

5. Liberal Review

6. Lynne Featherstone MP

7. A Little Liberal Goes A Long Way

8. Suz Blog

9. LibDem Blogs Aggregated

10. John Hemming MP

TOP TEN NON ALIGNED POLITICAL BLOGS

1. PoliticalBetting.com

2. Comment is Free

3. NHS Blog Doctor

4. Beau Bo D'Or

5. Tim Worstall

6. Chicken Yoghurt

7. Brian Micklethwait

8. WestBrom Blog

9. Paul Leake

10. Shaphan

TOP TEN JOURNALIST BLOGS

1. Paul Linford

2. Adam Boulton

3. Nick Robinson

4. Stephen Pollard

5. Ben Brogan

6. David Rennie

7. Paul Anderson

8. Nick Cohen

9. Peter Hitchens

10. Martin Bright

TOP TEN FOREIGN BLOGS

1. Kiwiblog (NZ)

2. Andrew Sullivan (USA)

3. Oz Politics (AUS)

4. The Corner (USA)

5. David's Medienkritik (GER)

6. Tim Blair (AUS)

7. GOP Blog (USA)

8. Sicilian Notes (IRE)

9. Oval Office 2008 (USA)

10. Fightback! (NZ)

EXCLUSIVE: Diaries Reveal NUM Took Soviet Money

The National Security Archive in Washington has published the first intallment of the diaries of one of the key behind-the-scenes figures of the Gorbachev era, Anatoly Sergeevich Chernyaev. The diaries confirm that at least £1 million of Communist money was handed over to the the NUM during the 1984-5 strike. I remember when I was at univerity I took part in a debate on the Miner's Strike with Mark Seddon, who was at UEA at the same time as me. I accused Scargill of being in the pay of the Russians at the time and was shouted down. Nice to be proved right, albeit 21 years later! Chernyaev's diaries also demonstrate that Neil Kinnock slagged off Margaret Thatcher to the Soviets, thereby undermining the Thathcer Government's negotiating position with the Russians. The whole diary can be accessed HERE. Here are some interesting extracts...

January 26 1985

Shalaev (VCSPS [All-Union Central Labor Union Council]) insists on the resumption of the million-ruble transfer to English miners, even though Gorbachev told Thatcher: we have not and will not transfer. I made him go to the CC. I am in doubt myself, and that is how I composed the memo. Because our million is a drop in the bucket (less than the miner’s week’s spending), and [is given] in secret at that (so it does nothing for the internationalism); and if it comes to the surface, Maggie will drag the person, with whom she talked and whom she liked so much, through the mud. It is not worth it. We shall see how the CC Secretaries and M.S. [Gorbachev] himself will treat this.

March 14 1985

Sukhodrev (interpreter for the General Secretaries, starting with Nikita) told me about the meeting with Thatcher. She, being acquainted with Gorbachev from 1984 (London, Chequers), fawned, charmed, engaged [him], and he answered with the same. It seems that this is how she “does politics,” and with the help of M.S. she wants to surpass all kinds of Kohls and Mitterands in world affairs, and maybe even the Reagans. And she likes to play in the feminine way precisely with Gorbachev.

May 22 1985

Lagutin told me about how (Charles) Clarke, Kinnock’s assistant, evaluates Maggie Thatcher: no one will bring her down and she is not inclined to turn the power over. Her only possible downfall is that she might not be able to endure it herself. Firstly, she has eye problems, but wants to read everything herself. Secondly, and most importantly, is the psychological stress: morning to night she plays the role of a great political figure with everyone—her friends, enemies, comrades-in-arms, ministers, foreigners, mass media [sic], and with herself. This is, of course, terribly difficult. She is devilishly smart, and in fact is a great actress, but she is not on stage, where regular actresses sometimes manage to live long. Clever!

October 31 1985

October 31, Thursday, was spent at the Parliament. Klinnock received me there. He spoke with me as if I know no less than Shevardnadze. And in general—during the entire trip I felt like a “highly significant person.” They took me seriously, like a plenipotentiary, an all-knowing CC CPSU representative. With Klinnock we spoke about the forthcoming highest-level conference in Geneva, about Thatcher, whom he called “little fool,” about the Strategic Defense Initiative, about England’s attitude towards Gorbachev. He spoke without haughtiness, even though it would seem like who am I and who is he—“the leader of Her Highness’ opposition!”

First Signs of Discontent Over Ming's Tax Policy Appear

The first rumblings of discontent about Sir Menzies’s speech on tax appear in this week’s edition of Lib Dem News (the party’s weekly newsletter to activists).

‘Are any other readers incensed that after months of trying to keep people from making pre-emptive announcements about the deliberations of the Tax Commission before they are put through party democratic processes we are now told in the weekend press that there will be policy announcements this week? The Commission has not yet met to ratify what it will send to F[ederal] P[olicy] C[ommittee], let alone Conference consider them.’

It’s signed Jock Coates, Secretary of ‘Lib Dem ALTER’ (the exciting ‘Action for Land-value Taxation and Economic Reform’ group…). Jock is a reader of this blog, so very well done to him!

LibDems Accused of Breaking Electoral Law by Paying Canvassers

Last Sunday an official LibDem email, put out by London LibDems exhorted party members to help out in the Bromley by election. Nothing wrong in that, you might think, but at the end of the email the Party offered to reward LibDem Youth & Student members by giving them "a tenner" and paying for their travel. Now my knowledge of electoral law is by no means encyclopedic, but I do know that it is strictly illegal to pay canvassers in any shape or form.

From: Pete Dollimore <pete.dollimore...>Reply-To: Pete Dollimore < pete.dollimore...>To: ld-londonactivists-l@LISTS.LIBDEMS.ORG.UKSubject: [LONDON-LDS] Latest News from Bromley Date: Sun, 4 Jun 2006 13:10:38 +0100--- Latest News from Bromley ---
Come and Help! ---The pile of tabloid newspapers has started to go down, but there's no danger of them running out soon!

LDYS members please note - if you coming for a full day, we can help with student travel costs (bring ticket with you), a tenner to help youthrough the day and overnight accommodation if needed. Just give the office a call and offer to do a day's work! If you're prepared to make the committment (sic), then the party will help make sure you're not out of pocket.

I am quite prepared to accept that all these keen young LibDem students may be photocopying, but if any of them are out on the doorstep and talking to voters and at the same time receving their £10, they are probably committing an offence, as are those who hand over the money. Hat-tip to Yellow Peril. Note: I have only quoted the relevant paragraph of the email. I have the full email.

Oh No, Not Blackpool Again...

According to THIS article, the Conservatives will be returning to Blackpool for the Party Conference next year. This is very disappointing. Surely we can find somewhere else? I know there are few places that can take such a large conference and it may be that there simply is, to coin a phrase, no alternative, but I do hope every other avenue has been exhausted. Manchester would be my preference.

The English Flag "Brings Shame" on our Country. Really?

Comment may be Free, but do we really have to put up with THIS rubbish?

This is what Faisal Bodi writes: Just for the record, a red cross won't be flapping out of my car during the World Cup. And that's not only because the damned thing is too closely associated with the far right. The cross, and the three lions for that matter, are Christian symbols, adopted by the crusaders for a historical episode that not only brought immense suffering to Muslims and eastern Christians alike, but which created the jaundiced lens through which much of the west would view Islam down the centuries. I'm not saying I'll be cheering for Iran or Saudi Arabia. I will be shouting for England. But like many British Muslims it'll be without any of the paraphernalia that brings shame to my country.

Read that last phrase again: "paraphernalia that brings shame to my country". What an absolutely ridiculous thing to say. Does the same apply to the Union Flag? What symbol of our country would Mr Bodi like to replace it with, I wonder?

I have never heard of Mr Bodi, but I am told he is a "leading commentator" on Muslim affairs. He is also news editor for Al Jazeera. Well he certainly isn't representative of any Muslim I've ever met.

Iain Dale's One Minute Guide to Today's Blogs

The Guardian has upset Vented Spleen. Political Crossroads thinks the LibDems are limp on policy and dim on tax. Theo Spark's blog is YouTube-tastic today. Tim Roll-Pickering looks at the events in Forest Gate. Antonia Bance calls for a pregnant pause in the law of unintended consequences. Chicken Yoghurt is unimpressed by Alastair Campbell's World Cup blog. Ex Tory candidate in drug overdose drama. The Daily Pundit thinks David Willetts needs to discover some balls. The Ministry of Truth is making plans for Nigel.